FREEZE FRAMES

ByDavid SterrittJuly 13, 1990

A weekly update of film releases ANOTHER 48 HRS. - Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte team up again as a crook and a cop working together, sort of, to crack a case. The story is mostly a rehash of the original ``48 Hrs.,'' with the same hard-boiled mixture of violence and wisecracks. Directed by Walter Hill, who specializes in this kind of thing and gives it a certain conviction, if little else. (Rated R) DIE HARD 2 - Instead of a skyscraper, it's an airport that's been taken over by villains this time, and only Bruce Willis can save the day. The yarn has a certain sociological interest, since it's the first movie of the '90s with right-wing villains who spout ``communist menace'' clich'es meant to show how psychotic they are. In other respects, the adventure is as vapid as it is violent. Renny Harlin directed the production, with a budget estimated as high as $60 million. Most of which goes up in smoke before your eyes. (Rated R) LONGTIME COMPANION - Compassionate account of several gay men coping with the AIDS crisis from the early '80s on. The film is not very ``cinematic,'' in terms of artful editing and camera work, but it's smartly written and features a number of first-rate performances, including a brilliant one by Bruce Davison as a wealthy man caring for his dying lover. Directed by Norman Ren'e. (Rated R)